July 2011

As the band O.A.R. get ready to release their seventh album next Tuesday, we have some good news: you can listen to King right now on Rdio. If you’re a subscriber or still on your Rdio trial, hear them catch the next wave toward the perfect summer soundtrack.

Besides being the only place you can hear their new album, Rdio got O.A.R.’s Chris Culos to answer Five Questions with the Band and create a playlist of “Songs I Am Listening to Right Now.” So get ready to hear a little bit of reggae, catchy rock and killer sax solos.

Five Questions with O.A.R.

Who do you think is an important musician that most people have never heard of before?O.A.R. percussionist Chris Culos: Foster The People is sure to make a very big impact. Their new album Torches has so many songs that could be hits. It's a very fresh sound, the songwriting is really strong, the album is good from front to back, and the band can play live - a combination of things that make me think, watch out….these guys are going to be huge.

If you had access to any record in the world, what would you listen to right now?CC: Bob Marley's Babylon By Bus is probably my favorite album of all time. It has an energy, pulse and spirit that was captured in the recording that's my favorite sound ever recorded on a live album. Every time I listen to it, it brings back some of my favorite memories, but I also hear new things I've never heard before. In that sense, it's a very magical album. It captured a moment in time perfectly, but it's also timeless.

Which album or artist do you most associate with your childhood?CC: Pearl Jam's Ten would probably be one of the most influential albums of my childhood because it came out right at the time I was hitting the age where music becomes something you identify with and feel like it's a part of your personality. The other reason is because when I heard them perform on MTV's Unplugged it made me want to be in a band. That moment changed everything.

We hope people are ______________ when they listen to our music.CC: Happy

We were thinking about ______________ when we wrote music for the new album.CC: Songs that sound like summer

The Black Lips stand apart in Atlanta—though they hail from Georgia, which is typically associated with southern hospitality, these guys unapologetically rock out. Their sixth album, Arabia_Mountain, was their first ever created with the assistance of a producer—Mark Ronson (yes, the same one behind “New Direction (Mark Ronson Dub Remix)”).

We have three great things for you related to the Black Lips today (four, if you count the Exclusive remix). Black Lips singer-guitarist and new Rdio Influencer Cole Alexander answered Five Questions with the Band and put together a playlist: “music that the black lips like to listen to on road it inspires us. some of this music sounds nothing like the music we make. but i want to make some music like this.”

Finally, we have a pair of tickets for their Empty Bottle show in Chicago, to celebrate their Lollapalooza appearance and East Coast tour. So press play on this playlist and dig in.

Five Questions with the Black Lips

If you had access to any record in the world, what would you listen to right now?CA: Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville’s legendary paper recording of the voice of Abraham Lincoln. Technically it’s phonautograph. Not sure if it actually exists but there is some speculation that it is buried deep in the vaults of the Library of Congress unbeknown to them

Which album or artist do you most associate with your childhood?CA: Nirvana and The Beatles

We hope people are ______________ when they listen to our music.CA: KOOKIE

We were thinking about ______________ when we wrote music for the new album.CA: Spiderman being MOLESTED

Playlist Notes

Little Dragon, Ritual UnionThe detached, heartbeat-like rhythms and alluring voice of Little Dragon’s third album, Ritual Union, make it hard to fight off the urge to dance.

Drake, Marvins RoomAfter his rapid rise to fame, Drake uses his distinct combination of singing and rapping to tackle some of the pitfalls of success on his latest single, which is off his upcoming album, Take Care.

Wilco, I MightVeteran alt-country rockers Wilco drop a long-awaited single from their eight studio album, complete with distorted guitar, some serious organ, and a tried and true garage-band edge.

Joss Stone, LP1In honor of her newly created label, Joss Stone named her fifth album LP1 for its first album release. Co-written and produced by the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, Stone executes with raw vocals and an earnest spirit.

Is this the best news you’ve heard all week? Stay tuned—we have a Black Lips Chicago ticket giveaway (in case you are missing them at Lollapalooza), playlist, and Five Questions with the Band straight from the Black Lips’ Cole Alexander coming up later this week.

The Delicious Vinyl story goes something like this: two Los Angeles DJs with similarly excellent taste start a label and find immediate success. During the beginning, Delicious Vinyl was home of Tone Loc, Young MC, and Def Jef. Delicious Vinyl didn’t limit itself from there—they release dancehall reggae, dance music, Spanish rap, and later helped elevate West Coast rap to minds across the country. Almost 25 years later, Delicious Vinyl maintains its legacy in it’s catalog and new projects.

So find your favorite Delicious Vinyl albums, add them to your collection, hit play and “Bust a Move”.

“The pop don’t stop.” is a pretty good summary of today’s featured Rdio influencer, Arjan Writes. Armed with his oft-read blog, pop culture, music (and video) Twitter stream, Arjan brings his expansive knowledge of pop music to Rdio. Blogging since 2002, Arjan is an official blogger for the GRAMMYs, contributes on-air to CNN, and is involved in a variety of music-related projects.

What can you expect if you follow him? Get an early introduction to music like his Hot Picks.

Norweigan singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche mastered a lot of music from beyond his hometown—he’s a student of world. His latest album, a self-titled sixth album, touches on the sound of America, Rock ‘n Roll, with an undercurrent of complex guitar rhythms. If you’re curious about his musical past, who he believes contributed significantly to music, or what he listens to before a show, read (and listen) below.

Five Questions with Sondre Lerche

Who do you think is an important musician that most people have never heard of before?Sondre Lerche: Van Dyke Parks is an amazing composer, arranger and all around guy whose work and spirit I really treasure. His album Song Cycle is a great, wild place to start.

There’s a solid roundup of albums in this week’s New Music Tuesday picks, but don’t forget about the singles—listen to brand new music from 50 Cent,Common, Wale, Chiddy Bang and more. Hit play on this week’s New Music playlist and keep reading to learn more.

Playlist Notes

Imogen Heap, Propeller SeedsMulti-talented musician Imogen Heap is well known for her work with duo Frou Frou, but she is also a prolific solo artist. Her latest single is an intricately layered, atmospheric track with a very cool back story. Put on your headphones and hit play to fully experience this song’s inventive sound-scape and mesmerizing vocals.

Portugal. The Man, In The Mountain In The Cloud If you’ve heard Portugal. The Man mentioned in casual conversation, they’ve paid their dues—it’s time to pay attention and give their music a spin. Their sixth album is an enthusiastic nod toward addictive rock rhythms.

Blink-182, Up All NightSince the band went on hiatus, Blink-182’s members have kept busy. Lead singer Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker created +44 while Barker also appeared on reality television and added his drum soundtrack to hits which snowballed into a solo album. Meanwhile the third band member, Tom DeLonge, created the band Angels & Airwaves. The boys are back together now, touring with My Chemical Romance—this single is the first off their sixth album, Neighborhoods.

Although she left drama school to become a musician, there’s a sense of the dramatic in Ellie Goulding’s music. Breaking into the British mainstream, she worked with Frankmusic and was chosen in the BBC’s music critic poll as the “Sound of 2010.” Ellie hasn’t disappointed, with an incredibly popular (and as you may see on Rdio) heavily listened-to debut album, Lights. Ellie answered Five Questions for Rdio which reveals much about her musical heritage. She also created a playlist reflecting her trademark blend of electronic and pop.

Five Questions with Ellie Goulding

Who do you think is an important musician that most people have never heard of before?Ellie Goulding: I know this seems ridiculous, but it is surprising how many young people don’t know who Stevie Nicks is. She has inspired so so many female singers and songwriters, and yet a lot of people still think she is a “he” because of the name. I was in the same room as her lately and felt truly honoured. Her voice really gives me chills and shivers and she has had an incredible life.

If you had access to any record in the world, what would you listen to right now?EG: It would be Wild Beasts’ new record, Smother on vinyl. They get labelled as dream indie pop, but you can never quite pigeon hole them. They make distinct melodic piano driven pop songs about love and sexual desire, with really beautiful guitar riffs, and the singer Hayden has an incredible vibrato. It’s all I listen to at the moment.

Which album or artist do you most associate with your childhood?EG: The Pretenders, Simply Red and Seal. Random I know, but whenever I squint my eyes and think really hard about what music I used to be around, I always concluded with these artists. We lived in the middle of nowhere so we were always driving to somewhere with a CD on.

We hope people are ______________ when they listen to our music.EG: Hopeful

We were thinking about ______________ when we wrote music for the new album.EG: My childhood